Quick Facts
Biography
Fapy Lafertin (born Kortrijk, Belgium, 1950) is a jazz guitarist of Romani ethnicity, one of the foremost contemporary exponents of the Belgian-Dutch style of Gypsy jazz.
Lafertin was born in the Romani community of Manouches, and took up guitar at the age of five. After performing in a family band with his father on violin and his brother on second guitar, he joined the Piotto Limberger orchestra. He also toured with his uncle, Eddie Ferret.
In the 1970s and '80s he played with the band WASO, with Albert Vivi Limberger on drums and Michel Verstraeten on double bass. In 1985 he began a quartet which has featured Rudi Brink, Tim Kliphuis, and Joop Hendricks. He based the quartet on the Quintette du Hot Club de France. He began a solo career and toured throughout Europe and the UK. He has played with American jazz musicians, such as Charlie Byrd, Al Casey, Scott Hamilton, Milt Hinton, and Benny Waters. Briefly he performed with Stéphane Grappelli.
Lafertin has used the 12-string guitarra, combining Portuguese fado and Brazilian samba with the music of Reinhardt, Duke Ellington, and the Great American Songbook in his repertoire.
Discography
- 1991 Fleur de Lavende (Vintage Guitar Series)
- 2000 Star Eyes (String Jazz)
- 2003 Fine and Dandy (Iris Musique)
- 2007 Sweet Georgia Brown (Reader's Digest Music)
- 2011 Plachterida (CD Baby/Gypsymusic)
- "Fapy Lafertin | Album Discography | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 December 2016.